Parents should encourage teens to get vaccinated

Government ramped up its vaccination programme on Friday when it announced that children aged 12 to 17 were allowed to get the jab from next Wednesday.

What’s more, is that they will be able to get their Covid vaccines – a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine – without their parents’ permission.

With end of-year examinations looming, followed by school holidays, it is believed this is the best time to include the next age group, which accounts for six million children.

With 20 million vaccines administered, government realise the importance of gearing up in its bid to get the nation vaccinated if it is to reach targets set for the end of this year.

Covid deaths have dropped by 16% in South Africa over the past week, while the number of new infections have dropped by 28%, with a 3.5% reduction in hospitalisation over the same period.

However, we still have more than 5 000 people in hospital with Covid, so the battle is far from over.

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said: “We urge all South Africans who have not yet vaccinated to come forward because if we do so, indeed, in the next few months we can reclaim our lives, both in the economic side and also in the social and family activities.”

“We can assure parents and young people that even where [cases of myocarditis] have been noticed, there has been no permanent risk.

“We’re just taking precaution in this case. Ultimately, all of us are looking forward to a day when there will be zero deaths from this virus.”

There will always be risks with vaccines, but research has shown these are minimal, and extremely rare.

The risks associated with teenagers contracting Covid far outweigh the potential side-effects that go with the vaccine.

Not only should parents get vaccinated themselves if they haven’t already done so, but they should also encourage their children to get vaccinated.